ADJUSTING BODY CONDITION Armed with the information on BCS, you can now decide whether the estimated
body weight you calculated is in fact your horse’s ideal weight or whether he should actually weigh more or less. How many calories need to be added or subtracted from the ration to move a horse up or down one BCS score is not precisely known and likely varies by horse. Similarly we do not know whether the number of additional calories that are necessary to go from a BCS of say 3 to 4 or from 5 to 6 is the same. It has been estimated that the diff erence in weight between BCS scores for an average-sized horse is approximately 20 kg or 44 lbs, and that each kilogram of body weight is equivalent to 20 Mcal (Megacalories) of energy in the diet. T erefore to go from a BCS of 4 to 5 would require feeding this horse about 400 Mcals more than are currently being fed and to go from an 8 to a 7 would mean reducing the energy intake in the ration by the same amount. A horse’s energy requirement is largely a function of his body weight and for a horse
at maintenance (not working) can be calculated as: Digestible Energy (Mcal per day) = body weight in kilograms x 0.0333 To convert your horse’s estimated body weight from pounds to kilograms, divide
the weight in pounds by 2.2. Using this equation an 1100 lb (500 kg) horse has a daily energy requirement of 16.65 Mcal/day. Clearly adding or subtracting 400 Mcals to or from the ration to alter BCS by one score is going to take some time! And it should. Let’s say that your goal is for your horse to gain one BCS score over three months or 90 days. Dividing 400 Mcals by 90 shows that you would need to increase the energy requirement in the ration by 4.4 Mcal/day. For the 1100-lb example horse, that would mean a total calorie intake of 21 Mcal/day, an increase of just over 25%. One pound of hay provides approximately 0.8-1 Mcal, so feeding an additional 4.5-
5.5 lbs of hay per day would provide the necessary calories in this case. However, more calorie-dense feeds could also be provided, such as beet pulp, grains, various commercial feeds and sources of fat such as rice bran or oil. It is always benefi cial, though, to try to maximize forage intake whenever possible. High-fi ber commercial senior feeds can be very useful for adding condition; however, pay at ention to whether the senior feed you select is a complete feed or formulated to be fed with additional forage. It can be hard work maintaining weight on a
hard keeper, but taking weight off an overweight horse can be an equal challenge. For example, while reducing the 1,100 lb horse’s energy intake by 4.4 Mcal/day down to 12.25 Mcal/day might result in steady weight loss over 90 days, care must be taken to ensure the horse is still able to consume at least 1% of his body weight per day as forage. Severe restriction of feed intake can cause behavioral problems such as wood chewing from boredom or potential digestive distress. Use of slow feeders to help forage last longer can be very benefi cial in these situations. When restricting calorie intake for weight loss, take care to ensure that other vital nutrients are still being provided. Working with a qualifi ed equine nutritionist is recommended. Changing your horse’s body condition by just
one BCS point can take months. By making a point of weighing and condition scoring your horse at least once a month you will be able to determine changes in condition quickly, possibly before they become apparent visually, enabling you to make expedient management corrections.
For more information about the best horse health products, see:
Equine Medical & Surgical, p.41 Milk Specialities, p.51 SmartPak, p.7,17 Source, Inc., p.39 Summit Equine Nutrition, p.38 Triple Crown Nutrition, p.5
Clair T unes, PhD, is an inde- pendent equine nutritionist and owner of Summit Equine Nutrition, LLC, an equine nutrition consulting com- pany based out of Sacramento,
California. Dr. T unes has clients across North America ranging from miniature donkeys to horses short-listed for the 2011 Pan American Games. She is available for personal consulta- tions by phone, email or in person and maintains an active Facebook page, which may be found at
www.facebook.com/SummitEquineNutrition. To learn more about Dr. T unes and Summit Equine Nutrition visit
www.summit-equine.com
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • November 2012 | 41
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